Translation result
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on April 24 (local time) that the United States has tightened an increasingly ironclad blockade from the Gulf of Oman into international waters.
At a situation briefing at the Pentagon near Washington, D.C., Hegseth said 34 vessels bound to or from Iranian ships or Iranian ports have turned back since the blockade began.
He said the blockade is expanding and spreading globally and stressed that, because of these measures, time is not on Iran’s side.
On President Donald Trump’s order to sink vessels that lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth reaffirmed the policy and warned the United States would act without hesitation, likening the response to how authorities deal with drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.
Hegseth said Iran still has an opportunity to make a wise choice at the negotiating table and urged Tehran to abandon any nuclear weapons ambitions in a meaningful, verifiable way.
He added that this is not a fight the United States should bear alone. Europe and Asia have benefited from U.S. security for decades, he said, but the era of free riding is over. The United States and the free world deserve capable, loyal allies who understand that alliances are a two-way street.
Analysts said the remarks were a renewed call for allies to deploy warships to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz and help sustain the maritime blockade against Iran.
Most Commented